Geopark Naturtejo - Naturtejo Geoparque

8th European Geoparks Conference

Nikolaos Zouros (EGN coordinator)

Theme: European Geoparks Network and Geotourism

Nickolas Zouros is Associate professor of physical geography at the University of the Aegean and director of the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest (Greece). He graduated with a PhD in geology (tectonics) from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 1993 and then undertook several years post-doctoral research. He was elected Director at the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest in 1995 with main duties the protection, research and promotion of the Petrified forest of Lesvos. Zouros worked for the establishment of the Museum and the Petrified Forest as main tourist attractions of Lesvos island and the development of geoconservation and geological tourism. His involvement in geoparks started in 1996 during the 30th IGC and he was one of the founders of the European Geoparks Network in 2000. In 2003 Nickolas Zouros was elected coordinator of the European Geoparks Network. During the last 10 years he has worked closely with UNESCO and fellow coordinator P. McKeever to promote and develop the geopark concept in Europe but, increasingly, in other parts of the world as a member of the bureau of the Global Network of National Geoparks (GGN).

Patrick Mc Keever (EGN vice-coordinator)

Theme: European Geoparks Network and Geotourism

Mc Keever was graduated with a PhD in geology (sedimentology and vertebrate ichnology) from Queen's University of Belfast in 1990 and then undertook several years post-doctoral research at the University of Manchester (UK). Returned to Ireland in 1995 to take up a new position at the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland to develop geological tourism, creating geological walking and touring routes across the north of Ireland and marketing the region as a geological field destination to university groups. Patrick Mc Keever became involved in Geoparks in 2000 and in 2003 was elected vice-coordinator of the European Geoparks Network. Since then he has worked closely with UNESCO and fellow coordinator Nikolaos Zouros to promote and develop the Geopark concept not just in Europe but, increasingly, in other parts of the world as a member of the bureau of the Global Network of National Geoparks (GGN). Mc Keever also works closely with IUCN as an evaluator of world heritage nominations and he is a member of the World Commission on Protected Areas. He is Principal Geologist at the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland and continues to promote and develop sustainable geological tourism in that region. He is currently visiting professor at the National University of Malaysia where has been assisting the community on Langkawi to more fully understand and embrace the geopark concept as well as meeting people from other areas in Malaysia that are interested in developing geoparks.

José Brilha (ProGEO-Portugal)

Theme: Geological Heritage and Geoconservation in Portugal

Research expert on Geochemistry and Clay Minerals and involved on Geological Heritage and Geoconservation issues since 1998, José Brilha is Professor at the University of Minho
(Braga, Portugal). Member of the Executive Committee of ProGEO and founder of the Portuguese group of this association in 2000, director of the first Master Course on Geological Heritage and Geoconservation since 2005, and editor of the new international journal “Geoheritage”, José Brilha is nowadays a leading personality on Earth Heritage at national and international levels.

Margarete Patzak (Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences - UNESCO )

Theme: UNESCO and GGN

Margarete studied Geology and Mineralogy at the University of Würzburg, Germany. Her Ph.D. in 1991 was in Mineralogy on metamorphic rocks of the German Continental Deep Drilling Project. She was research assistant and coordinator of European projects on the protection and conservation of cultural heritage, EUROCARE, based at the University of Karlsruhe up to 1995. Since 1996 Margarete is working at UNESCO's Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences for the International Geoscience Programme (IGCP) being the coordinator of the Global Geoparks initiative, preparing and managing geological heritage and Geopark projects and networks.

Ross Dowling (Edith Cowan University, Australia)

Theme: New Challenges with GeotourismMargarete Patzak

Ross Dowling is Foundation Professor of Tourism, and Head of the Tourism Program, School of Marketing, Tourism & Leisure, Faculty of Business & Law, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. Internationally he is an Advisor, UNESCO Global Network of National Geoparks (France) as well as an Executive Board Member of the Indian Ocean Tourism Organization (Oman). In Australia he is Co-founder and Executive Director of Ecotourism Australia as well as an Advisor to Cruise Down Under. In Western Australia he is Chair of the Forum Advocating Cultural and Eco Tourism (FACET) as well as a Council Member of the Royal Automobile Club and the National Trust.
As a Director of Resolve Global (www.resolveglobal.com.au), he is an international consultant on tourism providing advice for the industry in a number of countries around the world. In recent years he has established a Tourism degree for Emirates Airlines, United Arab Emirates; convened a number of International Tourism and Hospitality Conferences in Malaysia; lead an Australian team giving Tourism Industry Development Workshops for the Vietnam Government; completed an extensive lecture tour for the Chinese Government, throughout China, Hong Kong and Macau; and advised on Tourism Development for the Minister of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman. In 2008 he convened the Inaugural Global Geotourism Conference in Australia.
He is a prolific author and researcher with over 200 tourism publications. In recent years he has co-authored or co-edited nine books on tourism. They are Ecotourism, Tourism in Destination Communities, Natural Area Tourism, Ecotourism Policy and Planning, Wildlife Tourism, Geotourism, Cruise Ship Tourism and Coastal Tourism Development. Two have been translated into Chinese and others published in India.
Dr Dowling’s expertise lies in Tourism Development Planning and he has been actively involved in the tourism industry as a tour guide in Asia, the Pacific and the Antarctic. He has been awarded an NZ Conservation Foundation Citation and a Mobil Environmental Award as well as a Perth Tourism & Aviation Scholarship.